


Safe haven

by SirsotStar



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Cults, Daniel-centric, Episode: s02e01 Cult Camp, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Light Angst, Loss of Parent(s), Mild Gore, Murder, Past, slight ocs for story progression
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-24
Updated: 2020-01-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:27:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22394767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SirsotStar/pseuds/SirsotStar
Summary: A small glimpse into Daniel's life, things he regrets and a changed future.
Relationships: None
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	1. The beginning.

He still remembers the day of the accident, he always did on its anniversary, he remembers how he waited by the tellie watching colourful cartoons, wondering when they would come back.  
Four hours later passed by until he heard a knock on the door. ‘That’s weird,’ Danny thought as he slowly made his way towards the hallway ‘They should know by now that the key is under the Clusia rosea plant, they put it there for jinx’s sake’ 

Though opening that door was the thing that sent a punch in his stomach, a police officer, perhaps only 5’9 with a bushy moustache stood outside, a wad of papers in his hands, with a saddened look on his face he spoke of an accident on the highway and that his parents would not come back, for an eight-year-old was the concept of death hard to fully grasp.

He was sent to an uncle’s house, Greggory, who despite him not being even near any car at that moment, blamed him for the accident, saying that if he’d called as soon as they were late that they would be able to get medical attention and they would still live. But Daniel himself hadn’t known what to do, he was only a kid, who for four years he put up with him. 

One evening after a particularly rough guilt trip that ended with a few smacks across his face that burned deeply in his mind, he packed his most worthy and sentimental things he owned, by them a flowery and ice blue tin box where pictures of his parents laid and a few things that they got him over the years, along with his violin, into a blue backpack.  
On his way out he grabbed hold of Greggory’s money stash and took a handful or two off them, the man didn’t trust the bank enough to have all his savings there which led to the perfect opportunity for Daniel. He ran.

A week of travelling around passed, he was one state away from where he previously lived, when he was picked up by a stranger in white clothes and light dirt-blonde hair, he spoke of the community he lived in, how everyone helped each other and that they could help him. Daniel agreed, he had nowhere else to go.

Coming there was like going straight into heaven, he felt safe.

Lines of white houses lined the streets, every single step you took led you towards the church that was always in a pristine white condition, walls were hung across the entire safe havens, (as he knew to be its name) keeping them all safe against the evils in this world. 

A year or so later, that safe feeling would slowly fleet away. 

Then it happened, he would never forget that sinking feeling in his stomach of having blood on his hands.

It all started on one spring day just a few months before he turned fourteen...

“Daniel!” Yelled the voice of Michael from across the sanctuary, Michael was a few years older than himself at twenty-two and was one of the very few dark-haired people at the safe haven, Daniel ran up to him with stars in his celeste blue eyes.  
“Michael.” Daniel returned calmly in the normal fashion of the safe haven. Michael was one of the more humane people there, most sat with wide pupils and stared into nothingness as they did their chores, spoke their preachers towards their god, some seemed weirdly robotic. But he felt safe.

“Daniel, Daniel! I might’ve been listening in to the elders whether or not I did that is uncertain but you are going to go on your first mission this lovely day!”  
“Really?” asked Daniel trying to match the jumping energy of his superior.  
“Shh, shh quiet down, they’re coming,” Michael said, pushing a finger against his lips, escorting him to his seat,

Suddenly, though not unexpected, the backdoors of the building opened, in walking the five men that lead the whole ordeal, Daniel always found it strange that there were no women in higher ranks but did not pay much mind to it. Daniel stumbled into this religion, he found somethings strange but eventually he started believing in it.  
The men, dressed in white clothes, made their way to the altar and began preaching for the next two hours as everyone sat still as statues, feigning interest. 

After those two hours, Daniel got the words that began the falling of domino bricks that changed his mind about this place.  
“Daniel, apprentice of William, your mission has cometh, and your time to prove your loyalty has arrived, learn what to do from your superiors as they are the ones only knowing of the mission.” They began preaching in Latin, a language which Daniel had barely any knowledge in.

After the rituals, he was more than joyous at the thought of being able to help. He made his way over to William, a stone-faced man with rat blonde hair that curled at its edges, he was greying ever so slightly, The man smiled as Daniel approached him, it didn’t fit the rest of his composure, he had been a military officer before he came to the haven.  
“Daniel.” The man said, his arms folded behind his back, his eyes wrinkled at the sides as he spoke, he was a familiar comfort to Daniel's eyes.  
“William” Daniel returned.  
“Come on in.” The man ordered, bringing the door open to his office.  
“Why thank you.”

The man took a seat, Daniel followed.  
“This is a serious mission,” William said, his demeanour changing to something colder. “You must not question its integrity or its aftermath, both of those things do not concern you. Do you understand?”  
“Yes, I understand.”  
“Here are the plans.” the man said, handing out a folder, as Daniel began flipping through it, his face paled, William didn’t notice as he was speaking in detail over what would happen in just a few hours.  
“Remember, we only do this too horrible people  
It ended with the words; Your parents would be proud of you.” And Daniel knew what he had to do.

Kill a person.


	2. Chapter 2

It was dark outside when Daniel was sent out, the spring night’s cold breeze looming in the air around him, biting on his fingers and toes as another superior drove him outside of the pearly gates of safety.

The car grumbled over the gravel road, the car itself was a throw-away vehicle, simply used to go from location to location rather than provide comfort.  
Suddenly it came to a stop, it must have gone at least forty minutes since he got in as they passed quickly. 

Daniel wasn’t very stoked on the idea of murder, he found his victim to be rather innocent, but he knew what he had to do to be safe. But Daniel didn’t know much about her besides her being a widow.

In the darkness he emerged at the edge of the building, the knife he was given hanging burdensome and awkwardly by his belt in its protective case.  
Gingerly he paced around the building, his feet quiet from the years of living with his uncle if Daniel ever snuck up at night and his uncle awoke.. well suffice to say the rest of the night wouldn’t be pretty red on walls but blood gracing various bruises that came to form it.  
All the windows of the building showed no sign of any lights being on.  
Walking by its eastside, he found an unlocked door, opening it with a gloved hand and sneaked inside, slowly he paced the stairs, he knew the layout to the building from the folder, he slowly took the last step to the bedroom door.

Leave no fingerprints.

His gloved hand opened it carefully.  
He saw the woman sleeping soundly, he had no idea how to kill a person.

Leave no traces that you were even there.

The handle of the knife as he grabbed it, grew more and more unpleasant for each passing second as it weighed his consciousness with doubt. Its blade shined in the moonlight as he approached the side of the bed, looking over his victim.  
Her dark hair knotted itself over her pillow, she looked restless and tired yet kind, small bags clung under her eyes as her right arm clung onto the fabric of her sleeping gown.

Daniel slid the knife where the dress stopped at her neck, in a slightly clumsy movement, he pushed it down with all his might as her eyes fluttered open in a panic.  
Crimson red flushed over him before she could say anything but gurgles and quiet screams, he must have it her vocal cord.

He assumed it to be a quick process, killing a person, he was wrong. He watched as her chest heaved as it struggled to fill with air, the blood poured into her hair, turning it even darker.  
Blood gurgled from her lips every time she tried to take another breath. A putrid coppery smell surrounded him and filled his every sense.  
Tears gnawed in his eyes, this was truly inhumane.  
The blood on his hands and clothes made him feel dirty and wrong, like no matter what he did it would permanently stain him, his limbs and whatever clothing he'd ever wear.

Then after what felt like hours, the breathing stopped, leaving nothing but a corpse behind. The night was dark as ever.

Just as he was about to take his leave, a shrill yell filled the house. 

A child.

Cautiously he stalked towards the sound of the child, opening a door just next to the bedroom, walking towards the crib stationed in the middle of the room. 

He was met with the crying most brilliant turquoise eyes of a dark-haired child that looked to be no more than 6 months old. He felt sick down to the very core of his being, to say the least.

He orphaned a child, becoming almost his own worst nightmare. He took this child’s last person who could provide them with comfort that for the rest of the kid's life were not guaranteed to be received. Slowly he backed up, closing the door and bolted. Someone else would find him.. hopefully.

He hoped for the boy to live a happy life, but he knew better.  
His hand unknowingly made its way to his pale cheek. The sting burning in his mind as his raw thoughts raced wildly in his head.

He ran with tears in his eyes, back to the car, he didn’t allow them to fall. With a nod to the superior, he was thrown a new shirt and the car tore off into the distance.  
Daniel cried himself to sleep that night, the last time he ever cried in a long time, he came to this place as a tired and lost child and while in it, left a murderer.

Only a week later he tried to run, to bolt, to be out of the safe haven, many attempts later he failed, always being caught.. and punished for it, gravely.  
Scars remained from those moments...

Seven months after the murder, seven months of being called “Cutthroat” as praise, he felt dull and tired and broken, he tried to end it all, at fourteen.  
It didn’t work. Of course, it didn’t, nothing works out for Daniel.  
He was sent on many other missions.  
He pushed the thought of each mission as far back as possible in his mind as he went through them, dreading every second where he simply disassociated from whatever was happening around him in fear that it would be too much for him to handle, the fear that if he failed became unrecognised as he did, he pushed his every emotion to the back of his head.  
It almost helped him cope.

He had so many scars over his torso and legs, each with a story he remembered all too well.

At twenty-three he had done 19 ‘missions’ he hated each second of them all.  
Throughout the next nine years, he tried several times to escape and always failed, he tried several other times to get out of it using other means, at seventeen he was left in a fragile enough mind for the people at the safe haven to manipulate him into doing what they needed to have done, it didn’t work very well. At twenty-three they grew tired of him and sent him out on one final mission, they made sure he was going to make it count. They prepared him for a long time. Kill these people and you’ll be out.

He really dreaded that coming day.


	3. Chapter 3

His hands felt sweaty, how do I pull this off? he questioned eyeing the red cups on the table, his eyes met those of the counsellor as his words turned more and more simple as he sang, his mind racing at every turn. Now Daniel wasn’t stupid, he could put up an act and sell it well. 

His plan wasn’t much harder than doing a public stunt to finally be rid of this world whilst playing it off as a mistake. He could do this, right?

He remembers drinking the purple drink, how it burned as it slid down his throat, the chemical feeling in his mouth as it all came back only seconds later, how he clutched his hair and forehead with his hands, as big tears broke from his eyes for the first time since he was fourteen. He’d never have to do it again.  
Never would he imagine that he would be met with those turquoise eyes again, it threw him off his game, a game in which he was an unwilling but forced participant.  
When Max first laid eyes on him, he could swear that there was some form of recognition in those turquoise eyes, some uncertainty, some fear, something that caused Daniel to rethink everything.   
Did he remember that night? 

Did he remember the blood soaking the fourteen-year old’s body forcibly taken from his mother? 

Did he remember the night he became an orphan much like Daniel himself was?   
Daniel staggered back, his mind falling off a metaphorical cliff.

He felt regret. A sinking feeling in his stomach that never ended as he watched the nearly eleven-year-old throughout the day, looking miserable, yet he was a smart kid, for sure.

How he retracted from the god he only minutes ago preached for in vain hope for freedom. How his mouth could only utter how sorry he was as something inside him broke open, the dams opening for the world to see.

Suddenly, he felt a warm hand on his shoulder. He looked up as his steel eyes locked with the sea-green of the counsellor.

“Are you alright?”

Daniel shook his head in a choice and movement his body made for him, he was broken, and finally, it showed at 24, the same day his parents died 16 years ago, ten years after his first kill, on his last mission.  
He was lead into a cabin, a cabin in which he previously searched for a position to harm people... He was selfish, as well as disgusted with himself.  
He unleashed it all on David, telling him of his entire life history as he cried into the man’s shoulder, who rubbed circles onto his back as he spoke through broken sobs.

He felt the man tense when he spoke of his first killing and how he believed that it might’ve been Max’s mother, whom he was forced to take away for him, he spared David the grotesque details, he spoke of how he hoped for Max to have a bright future as he left the room, not knowing what to do. He spoke of the rest of it all.  
He didn’t know why he felt obliged to tell David all of this, yet he did, and it felt good to finally say it to someone.

Then David looked at him calmly, there was no hate or misunderstanding, it seemed he understood that Daniel was forced to do certain things by other people.  
“You know, Max came here last year as well... His foster parents were no-shows and I spoke with the agency who seemed concerned but to get to the point, I’ve been raising Max for the past year, he’s at least somewhat more happy now than he was back then.” David spoke fondly.  
“..You have?” Daniel smiled his first real smile since he was eight. Since he had his parents. Since he had His life. It felt strange, tears glossed on his cheeks, he was happy knowing that Max was in a good home. It was the least he could do after all the suffering he had caused.   
David stayed quiet for a few minutes, clearly thinking of something. “I believe Mr Campbell can help you get the people in that.. religion off your back, he runs quite a few.. questionable businesses.”  
“What?” Asked Daniel, seeming amazed “But that’s impossible! They’ll find me, I know they’ll do.” 

A few months, a hospital visit and some hefty fees later, the church stopped. Daniel, it seemed was of great interest by the notorious Cameron C. Campbell, though he didn’t even in a million years want to go back to killing or harming others.  
David eventually took him in, seeing that he had no other place to be, much to Max’s dismay, he never told Max who killed his mother, he couldn’t dare himself to, he’d find out when he was older.  
He did house chores for the two while David worked or Max was at school, they eventually fell into a peaceful routine. Max eventually warmed up to him slightly, he didn’t deserve even the smallest amount of trust from him.

A year or so went by in the blink of an eye, Max was almost twelve and David was preparing for another summer of camp, though around that time Daniel got an email from his former friend, Michael, who sent a quick message of an article and picture. Seeing it’s content, he grabbed hold of his blue tin box, hugging it lightly towards his chest.  
\--  
MARRIED COUPLE LEFT DEAD FROM HIGHWAY ACCIDENT.  
It was Tuesday of the 13th July this weekend when Seline Evans and her husband John Evans succumbed to an unfortunate death, leaving their eight-year-old son behind them. The person in the causation of this accident was not found as police are currently investigating the integrity of the whole ordeal really being an accident after finding some discriminating evidence to suggest otherwise as well as many witnesses stating it didn’t look accidental--  
\---  
The picture attached to the email looked like an officiate document, one he knew from the many missions he’d done for the 'safe' haven.  
His heart dropped.  
\--  
/SH/  
July 13th 20XX-  
Mission: John F. Evans. Seline C. Evans. -  
Plan: Accident in a car. WS386-  
Status: COMPLETE-  
\--  
The note cut off, it was a picture, it was clear that it had been taken without permission but Daniel remembered the abridged version of the mission the file would have on its first page before going into its grotesque details of what needed to be done.  
\--  
Daniel, This is Michael, I know you ran away and I am pleased to say that I had that opportunity as well.  
During your leave I gathered some intel about the safe haven after I rose in my ranks, I found out way too much and knew I had to leave. Unlike you, I was raised at the Haven, it’s been hard learning how adult stuff works, but I make do.  
But to get to the point;  
They did it, it was all in their plan for your parents to pass and for you to join and it will bring much pain to say it but your superior William Sonder was accountable for their deaths.  
Their tales were woven in silver, but that doesn’t make their tales worthy of it.   
They planned your entire life, it brings me joy to know that you left before they completed it.  
I hope you are in a better way now, And I’m sorry, you deserved nothing of this.  
Your acquaintance Michael. 7/13/20  
\---  
“W-what?”

A tear made its way down Daniel’s cheek, followed by another.. and another until he was sobbing on the floor next to the computer, crawling up into a fetal position. His hand rubbing his cheek until it finally settled over his eyes, the other hand quickly following suit.  
Had he really not noticed that it was that day? God, it was almost as if he was a child again, helpless and lost. Scared. He almost felt empty, much like every other year this came to be but it would be impossible for him to feel truly empty, he had other people in his life now, people he cared for and saw as his own family... empty was not the right word for it, he felt more like imbalanced as if something was missing greatly from his life.  
Time passed yet it felt unnaturally paused, a few minutes later the padding of two feet was heard close to him, they paddled beside him, but Daniel didn’t remove his fingers from his face, he could see the outline of two feet standing on their tippy-toes through his tears.  
Surprisingly, he felt the small hand of Max on his back, patting him? The kid had never really been one for affection, but Daniel appreciated the gesture.

He didn’t deserve this. He had blood on his hands, he had Max’s mother’s blood all over him, it stained him thoroughly across his being. He could never be rid of the haunting truth of what he did that day.


End file.
